‘Pathar Mela’ held at Halog

Like every year, the famous “Pathar Mela” in the Dhami area of the Shimla Rural constituency was held today with usual enthusiasm.

At Halog village, the capital of the erstwhile Dhami estate, two groups of people pelt stones at each other until someone gets hurt, and a ‘tilak’ from his blood is applied to the local deity.

The mela is centuries old, and held every year a day after Diwali. According to Devender Bhardwaj, a priest in the village temple, the mela dates back to the times when human sacrifice was prevalent. “The mela started around 300 years ago to stop the human sacrifice. It was started as an alternative to human sacrifice. Instead of sacrificing a human, the blood of the person injured in the clash is applied to the forehead of the deity,” he said.

Jagdeep Singh, a member of the erstwhile royal family, said the belief behind the human sacrifice and its alternative “pathar mela” was that it would protect Dhami from calamity and diseases, and peace and prosperity would reign in the area.

One of the two groups pelting stone at each other represents the erstwhile royal family, and the other represents the masses. Only select individuals, known as “khoond”, can participate in the mela. Once the “pathar mela” is over, people resort to dancing and feasting, believing that the deity would keep them safe from all kinds of trouble.